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    Niels Swinkels

    Native Dutchman Niels Swinkels is a freelance journalist, musicologist, and sound engineer. Before moving to San Francisco, he was the arts editor and senior classical music/opera critic for Brabants Dagblad, a regional daily newspaper in the Netherlands. As a freelance writer and sound engineer, he currently works for San Francisco Opera, KALW Local Public Radio, Elevation Online, Earprint Productions, and others.

    Articles by this Author

    Recital Review
    July 11, 2017
    Lieder Alive! Delivers a Welcome Reprise of Schubert’s Schwanengesang
    BY Niels Swinkels

    Anthony Reed and John Parr tread the delicate line between power and intimacy.

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    Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
    May 2, 2017
    A Straussian Trip to Italy With S.F. Symphony and Fabio Luisi
    BY Niels Swinkels

    One of Richard Strauss’s less-performed symphonic poems pairs with Igor Levit’s masterful Schumann performance.

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    Choral Review
    February 28, 2017
    S.F. Girls Chorus Brings Light From Darkness
    BY Niels Swinkels

    Religious music for the Lenten season, sung with grace and mature expression.

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    Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
    January 31, 2017
    Midori Makes an Impression in Marin
    BY Niels Swinkels

    The great violinist drained every ounce of emotion from Britten’s Violin Concerto in a triumphant appearance with the Marin Symphony.

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    Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
    January 24, 2017
    Simone Lamsma and James Gaffigan Light It Up at S.F. Symphony
    BY Niels Swinkels

    The close connection between violinist and conductor made for an electrifying concerto performance.

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    Early Music/Baroque Review
    November 15, 2016
    The Soothing Simplicity of Musica Pacifica
    BY Niels Swinkels

    The early music group delves into love, Italian style.

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    Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
    September 27, 2016
    The Italian Muse Touches the San Francisco Symphony
    BY Niels Swinkels

    Tenor Michael Fabiano shone in the all-important opera highlights, but the full program went much deeper into the sweep of Italian music.

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    Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
    September 20, 2016
    MTT Gives Musician’s View of Beethoven’s Fifth
    BY Niels Swinkels

    The conductor provides a revelatory reading of an iconic masterwork, devoid of the usual drama.

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    Opera Review
    July 19, 2016
    Opera Theater Unlimited Gives Full-Blooded Poppea
    BY Niels Swinkels

    Stripped down to essentials, this was a visceral, exciting production of Monteverdi's masterpiece, The Coronation of Poppea.

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    Choral Review
    May 17, 2016
    S.F. Bach Choir’s Spirited Mass in B Minor Verges on the Magnificent
    BY Niels Swinkels

    Dr. Magen Solomon has guided the venerable community choir to new levels of artistry.

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    Early Music/Baroque Review
    April 26, 2016
    American Bach Soloists Take Intimate View of Bach Oratorios
    BY Niels Swinkels

    Despite the large forces arrayed for the Easter and Ascension Oratorios, Jeffrey Thomas and his musicians achieve chamber music-like clarity and unforced communication.

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    Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
    April 13, 2016
    S.F. Symphony Plays from the Heart in Mahler, and Schubert
    BY Niels Swinkels

    The orchestra’s intimate connection with the works of Mahler continues to inspire.

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    Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
    April 5, 2016
    MTT Studies the Academic Side of Copland and Schumann
    BY Niels Swinkels

    SF Symphony featured the less-performed, edgy works in Copland's output, with Inon Barnatan at the keyboards for the Piano Concerto.

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    Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
    March 29, 2016
    Montreal Symphony Sensational with Trifonov in Berkeley
    BY Niels Swinkels

    The Russian piano phenomenon delivered a thrilling performance in collaboration with Kent Nagano and the OSM.

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    Chamber Music Review
    March 25, 2016
    Curious Flights Transports with “Transatlantic Crossings”
    BY Niels Swinkels

    Fresh compositions by Simon Dobson highlight the latest installment of this inventive series.

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    Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
    February 23, 2016
    Denève Brings S.F. Symphony to a French Soundgasm
    BY Niels Swinkels

    The French conductor brought a Glimmer of new music to the San Francisco Symphony’s series of subscription concerts.

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    Chamber Music Review
    February 16, 2016
    Cypress Quartet: Brahms by Osmosis
    BY Niels Swinkels

    With friends Barry Shiffman and Zuill Bailey, Cypress Quartet gave fluid performances of Brahms’ sextets.

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    Early Music/Baroque Review
    February 3, 2016
    Forgotten Viennese Composers Get Some Love From Quicksilver
    BY Niels Swinkels

    The greats and not-so-greats of 17th-century Vienna get a hearing thanks to the Quicksilver ensemble.

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    Early Music/Baroque Review
    January 27, 2016
    ABS Chorus Stands Out in ‘Bach Favorites’
    BY Niels Swinkels

    American Bach Soloists revisited two of the three Bach Cantatas from their inaugural concert for the opening of their 27th season.

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    Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Review
    January 19, 2016
    Ax and Urbanski: A Meeting of Magnificent Musical Minds
    BY Niels Swinkels

    Conductor Krzysztof Urbanski made an astonishing debut with the San Francisco Symphony, joined by pianist Emanuel Ax.

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